The Man in The Studio Across the Street
by laviecontinue
Summary: Ever since moving into an apartment in New York City, Sookie has been fixated on the man who lives in the building across from hers. Since their windows are across from each other and facing, she sees how he gets nude and doesn't ever bother shutting the blinds. But does he know she is watching? Sookie quickly finds out he is no ordinary man. M for sexual themes/Humor. AU.
1. Sookie the Perve

_**This was just a silly thing I came up with. Sookie is still telepathic, and Eric is still a vampire. Feel free to let me know if I should continue, or even if you want to say it's the silliest thing in the world.**_

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><p><em><strong>The Man in The Studio Across the Street<strong>_

After working my fingers to the bone and saving up tirelessly, my dreams to live in The Big Apple were finally looking to be accomplished.

The only problem at first, once I arrived on plane all the way from Louisiana, was finding myself a reasonably priced, studio apartment to rent. The real estate lady suggested a nice and spacious, one-bedroom studio fifteen minutes away from the City, which was beautifully renovated, with hardwood floors and a high ceiling, I thought I would be a fool to turn the offer down.

The best part about it was definitely the location, which was absolutely ideal for me, situated near historic shops, amazing restaurants, and plenty of endless nightlife options. I agreed, first instance I got. But the truth was, it wasn't the convenient location or the beautifully furnished apartment that sealed the deal for me. No, it was the view coming in from the tan-brick, three-story building adjacent to my apartment window that had me hook, line, and sinker.

Through my window, you could see straight into the male occupants room and he was_ definitely_ the reason I took up the offer.

Every morning before I got ready for work, as a waitress in one of the popular downtown bars, I would sit down on my strategically placed leather couch by the window, eating cereal and toast for breakfast, while I watched him secretly through his window.

He hardly ever closed the shutters, so I could see _everything._ I never needed a T.V set, because he was far more interesting than any reality T.V show. I wasn't sure who he was, or what he even did for a living, but I guessed he worked in the corporate world. He would always get dressed into fine suits and ties. He was about the most gorgeous man I had ever seen in my entire life. I thought it was his hair that got to me most; His hair was long and blonde, flowing down to just below his shoulder blades, and he was so magnificently tall that it was just a thrill watching him go about his early mornings and nightly routines, without him even knowing.

It grew to become my most favorite entertainment, spying on him.

It might be an illegal hobby, but he didn't seem to mind. That was if he knew, of course, which he didn't seem to.

It was in the ways he kept that window open as he got undressed; It was in the ways he invited women over constantly, and didn't even bother closing the curtains while he kissed around their necks. He seemed to have a real thing about necks, because every time a woman came over to his house, the instance she sat on his lap on the couch, it would be the first place he went. He would be stuck there for a little over five minutes, with his face buried against the crook of her neck, while the woman would bob up and down. Then she would stand, slip a scarf over her neck, he would give her some cash, and then she would leave his studio building, just as quickly as she had entered.

I came home from work, and then left, just to come back home again. All I seemed to do was work. My lifestyle in New York wasn't exactly what you could call adventurous, but I _sure as hell_ was living through him.

He was a complete mystery to me. Especially how he invited countless women over, only to just shove his face into her neck for five minutes, then to have her leave. He never even had sex or anything like that. What man isn't interested in sex, in this day and age? It was unbelievable!

My favorite part of watching him always came up around six-thirty in the morning. Yes, I was sacrificing sleep, but it seemed worth it just to spy on him. Just as the sun started coming up, he would cross over to the window, look out at the busy street below our buildings, and then he would strip out of his clothes. Had he any idea I was watching, he never showed it. His body was the most amazing I had ever seen; He was toned, muscular, and with his long, luminous hair, he reminded me of Tarzan; Just a wild, physical and entirely masculine male, unaware of his own charms. He stood there for about five minutes close to the glass in the nude, letting me drink everything of him in. Oftentimes, I felt like a huge pervert doing it, but I almost felt addicted to spying on him.

This early morning was no different.

My alarm clock was set and programmed to wake me, just before sunrise so I wouldn't miss out on anything.

I had time to make myself a fresh cup of coffee, and then I raced over to the spot I had frequented to watch him, nursing my coffee in my hands. Apparently I had been a little too late this morning, because already, he was in the nude and doing squats near the window. He was starting early this morning and my stomach sunk in disappointment. I watched him, engrossed as he did three sets of squats, and then turning to the window, he lifted his arms and held them over his head, giving them a good stretch. It was a very nice sight; It made his biceps bulge, his flat stomach tighten, and I almost drooled.

He seemed to be looking straight into my direction, but I couldn't be sure. Until what he did next, that was.

He blew a kiss at me in a very flamboyant way, all from where I was, across the street perched on the ledge of my apartment window. It started me so badly that I nearly dropped my coffee. Then he closed the shutters and retired for the day.

_Holy crap. Did he somehow know I was spying on him all along?_


	2. Eric the exhibitionist

_**Thank you, I was so surprised. Hope you enjoy this one. Next chapter will be longer, I promise. Maybe Sookie will get the courage to do something back ;)**_

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><p><em><strong>Eric<strong> _

I had a good laugh to myself as I flung down face-first on my bed.

I had not felt this content in years. Of course, I was aware the dear young woman across the street watched me on a daily basis. I didn't mind it: If I had, she would have been in jail for now, or at the very least with criminal charges to her name for spying on me and for invading my privacy.

Oddly I didn't mind it. It flattered me. Fed my ego, the way in which she obviously enjoyed my body. Who was I to deny the woman? Now I simply vowed to do my best and put on a show.

I never felt that way at first. I had not realized she had moved in, until one night I woke, had a shower, and went to air-dry naturally, as I did, around the apartment, with only one towel wrapped around my neck. Often I find being naked the most liberating. But as I went to sit on my couch it occurred to me that the building across from my window - usually empty and dark at that hour - was lit and somebody was standing by the window. They had finally found a willing tenant, and she was looking right at me. At first I felt offended, for she had invaded my privacy.

I tried to make her realize her error by slipping my towel off my neck in a very deliberate move, holding it over my crotch. Still, she remained; watching me from her window, bold as brass and unapologetic, the dainty human was. I couldn't believe the gall she had!

Next evening come nightfall, it was the same. It became a nightly - and early morning- occurrence for her. It was as if she lived by her window.

Maybe she never realized how adept my ability to see was, because I was innocently brushing out my hair when I caught her silhouette out of the corner of my eye, while she sat on the arm of her couch, peering in at me again, as she had the night before. I gave no more than a quick look to make certain she was actually watching, and she was. I could feel her eyes on me, just begging me to remove my clothes. Since I did not see any harm in it, I turned with my back facing the window, took it slow in unfastening each button on my shirt, and tried to be deliberately provocative for the human. The next thing I was utterly naked and it was clear to me she enjoyed it.

I supposed it put everything completely into perspective for me.

The human was lonely and my body aroused her. Being around for as long as I have, I was no prude.

So from that time onwards I vowed to get naked for her. She didn't know I knew. Until what I just did, of course.

I could see the expression on her face so vividly in my mind.

I had gone against the grain, in doing something I hadn't done before, as she watched me.

I had at last dropped all pretenses. Now she knew.

I had brought my hand over to my lips, kissed my palm, and sent it her way through the glass and air separating us.

Flirting wasn't something I had done in years. It was new to me again, but I couldn't deny I liked the look on her face. She had best introduce herself to me, and soon.


	3. Let Us Get Naked

**_Chapter Three_**

I got into work just at after ten in the morning. I had a full shift until eight-thirty tonight, and I couldn't say I was looking forward to being on my feet all day. I couldn't seem to get over long-haired Mr. Hunk from across the street this morning. He had _definitely_ seen me watching him- him blowing me a kiss kind of gave that away. I was embarrassed and was even considering moving out of my apartment so I wouldn't have to face the guy ever again. Never in my life did I dream he would have known all along about me perving on him through his window.

It was mortifying and (sounding truly like a dramatic teenager) I felt as if I wanted to die.

Keeping busy in serving customers bagels and lattes didn't help me feel any better. This morning just wouldn't seem to leave my mind. I guess it was fair to say I was panicking a whole lot. I didn't know what to do; Should I have gone over to his apartment, introduce myself, then apologize? In my defense, there was a certain something called curtains and blinds that you could cover your windows with, if you didn't want anyone looking.

He never bothered with them and just confidently chose to stand near the windows butt-naked. It wasn't my fault, and he was a toned and sexy guy, so surely he would have known a woman would look?

Even as the day grew later, we never tired of customers. I didn't mind it, though. People in N.Y were generous with their tips, and apparently they all loved their coffee and bagels. We even had True Blood stored in the refrigerator- for the vampire customers- although apparently The Big Apple wasn't a place where vampires loved to live in. In all my short years of living here, I hadn't once had to serve a vampire. But meeting one was pretty high up on the list; Some people disliked them, and were afraid. As for myself, I was curious about them. I thought it would be pretty neat meeting a vampire, who was so different from the average human. Only none ever seemed to want to step in, which was truly a shame.

I was just serving a rowdy crowd of bankers when the door flew open and a new customer waltzed in. It had grown fairly dark and shaded outside, and I had just under two hours until my shift was completely finished for the night.

Since the guy wasn't facing me, I couldn't recognize him, but he did look slightly familiar to me. I wasn't sure why, though. I just got that feeling that I had seen him around before. He was wearing tight black denim jeans and a black sweater that clung to him, evidently having a thing for black. His long golden-blonde hair was tied back into a loose pony-tail, trailing down the middle of his back and the tight, round curve of his ass looked divine in those jeans.

Usually I wasn't one to perve on random customers the instance they walked into the diner but just the back scenery of him was hot to trot. I was a single woman, I hadn't had sex before, and I didn't know whether that was why I was so inclined to perve on men. Maybe I was sexually frustrated, or something like that?

One of the girl's I worked with, a busty brunette called Amelia, got in first to serve him and I sighed sadly to myself in disappointment. I could tell she totally thought he was hot, as well. I could hear it in her thoughts. But then he asked for something that shocked her and I couldn't work out why she was reacting the way she was. Until I stepped a little closer...

"I want a True Blood," the man was saying, in a deep voice with a slight accent. "O please."

"Uh, sure..." Amelia was flustered, big time. She massaged her neck absent-mindedly while heading over to the refrigerator to where all the True Blood's were held. I couldn't blame her; I never would have thought he was a vampire myself. Well, by the sight of his ass and back, anyway.

I was about to serve another customer when the man turned and instantly I was staring into his eyes. _Holy crap._ His arms were crossed over his chest, his pale forearms were bulging, and I knew immediately off the bat that he recognized me. He was the man who had caught me watching him this morning. He was the tenant that lived across from me, the one that gave me morning nudie shows, and he was a... vampire. Of course, suddenly it explained everything; Why he had women over but never had sex with them, just only putting his mouth on their necks. Why he tended to be up all night, and the last I saw of him was just when the sun came up.

Why hadn't I seen it all in advance? Was I that clueless?

His eyes went down my body, then flew up to my face again. It was obvious he liked what he saw.

_Heart failure, right about now._

_Was this the right time to introduce myself? _Honestly, I desired nothing more than to run into the opposite direction. Oh, boy. What if he killed me because I had invaded his privacy all those times? All I could think to do was to play dumb. So that was exactly what I did. I was just almost succeeding in walking past him, when he side-stepped straight in front of me. He was a tall guy, and it was incredibly intimidating.

"Excuse me," I laughed nervously, the only thing I could manage. We did an awkward dance- with me trying to get past him and him stepping in my way and blocking my path- and it was seriously bugging me. Why couldn't the man leave me with at least a slice of my dignity intact?

"I know you," he said, his voice very strong and convinced on that. I peered up at him to find there was a ghost of a smile on his lips, and his eyes were alight with good-natured humor, as if he was enjoying prolonging my embarrassment and keeping me trapped from moving away. "You live across from me in your apartment block."

Playing dumb, the only thing I could think to do, I waved my hand dismissively. "I think you've got the wrong woman," I said nervously. "You must have me mistaken for somebody else."

He smiled widely at my words, and it was then I saw the two long teeth near his front ones. Fangs, and they looked awfully sharp. It was all the more reason to get away, and quickly. "Ah, so you are going to deny that you are the one?"

"The one what?" I muttered.

"The one that's window is facing mine. The one who watches me daily. I get naked for you."

_Naked for me? My Lord!_

"I don't know what you're talking about." My voice was beginning to fail on me, and he probably noticed it himself; He was winning this one already.

"What is your name?" he asked with interest, as if he was just dying to know.

"Sookie," I answered plainly. "What's yours?"

"Eric." God, his voice was intoxicating. Not too deep, but not too soft, either, and with the loveliest trace of an accent. He could read the menu out to me and I would have swooned. Hell, he could have even read the instructions on how to apply hemorrhoid cream and it would still sound somehow sexy. "This is the most strangest reality, standing near you without glass and air separating us." He gave out a soft laugh and with his fangs it was a little disconcerting.

"Excuse me, but I've got to get back to work," I said weakly, not feeling too good about myself.

"Yes, I have ordered myself a drink." Without warning, he leaned down towards me and his mouth was suddenly by the shell of my ear. My stomach leapt and I shuddered from head-to-toe. Was this the part where he bites me? "I've waited for you," he whispered in my ear, his voice husky and low. "Every time I see you at the window, I've waited."

"Waiting for me to do what, Mister?"

He pulled back to look me directly in the eyes. There was a soft smile curving those sensual lips of his and his eyes looked darker than they were, for some reason. "For you to join me," he said, sounding a little naughty. "It is only fair, after all. I've shown you mine. Now it is time for you to show me yours."

I felt my eyebrows dip in shock, as the blood drained from my face. _Did he really just say that?_

"Or perhaps you can come over to my apartment tonight and we can make it a party?" He went on, with something wicked in his tone of voice. His eyes landed straight on my chest to where my bosoms would be under my shirt, and he licked his lips slowly. "I have a feeling I will very much enjoy seeing you naked. Let us get naked for each other."

_Let us get naked?_ He was hitting on me, and I would be a liar if I said it wasn't working.

"Er, no," I managed, in a squeaky voice. "I think I'll pass, but thank you."

"Then I'll always be waiting." In a weird move, he raised a finger and pointed at one of his eyes, then back at me. He looked as if he was holding in a laugh, and he was probably even making fun of me. But despite all that, I surprisingly found him even more sexier than I had before.

**I'm so sorry for taking so long to update, and I hope you enjoyed this one. The two have finally met and maybe next chapter Sookie will do something ;) Thank you!**


	4. Baring All

_**Hey guys,**_

_**Thank you all for being so nice and encouraging. Hope you enjoy this one haha. Be warned, it's naughty and possibly... weird. :P**_

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><p><em><strong>Chapter Four<strong>_

Much to my mortification, Eric (the guy I perved on regularly of a morning and night thanks to his generous nudie shows, also now recognized as a member of the undead community) didn't take his bottle of blood and leave for the night. No, as is if enjoying embarrassing me with his presence at work, he settled on finding the closest seat in the house he could find and he sat, making himself comfortable.

I could do nothing but go on as if he wasn't there, which was a difficult task for me to do within itself. I felt as if I was highly attuned to his presence and, due to our previous conversation approximately a little over half an hour ago, my cheeks were in a constant state of burning.

I felt as if I wanted to magically turn into goo and dissolve through the floor so I wouldn't have to endure being in the same building as him. That, or I wished I had the ability to become invisible. The last thing I was anticipating on was for the man to unexpectedly enter my place of employment and attempt to hit on me. But seeing as he was already here and that there was literally nothing else I could do about it, I forced myself to let it go and ignore him with all my might.

_Everybody has no doubt gone through something like this before,_ I tried to reassure myself feebly. _There is no need for you to feel embarrassed and, besides, it wasn't like the man was offended by you ogling him. He's flattered, surely. He hit on you and even suggested you get naked for him in return! That's a good thing! Now let it go!_

Straightening my spine and giving my shoulders a little shake, I plodded along with doing my job by going around tables and jotting down orders from customers. One of the tables was directly in front of the one he was sitting in, so I had to pass by him. I kept my eyes on my notepad as I rapped my pen against it so I wouldn't feel tempted to check and see if I was still holding his attention. For some silly reason, I hoped I looked real good in front of him. I was sure my hair was still in place orderly in its bun and that my lipstick was neat.

I got through taking down the orders of the couple seated at the table in front of his without so much as a mere glance at Mr. Hunk successfully, and I pretended not to be interested or affected by him in any way as I strolled away, being mindful to purposefully swing my hips a bit in case he was staring at my bottom. Only when I turned and glanced over at him briefly, I was disappointed to find my hip swaying had been a wasted effort. He wasn't even watching me, no less looking in my direction. He looked thoughtful and serious as he stared at the wall straight ahead of where he was seated, and he must have undone his hair from its pony-tail, because in the next second he was shaking those long locks over his shoulder and away from his face.

I had to physically close my mouth up and remind myself sternly that drooling was not cool, no matter how young or old you happen to be.

When I wasn't stealing looks at him, I was stealing looks habitually at the clock. It had now reached eight o'clock and I was very pleased to know I had only but a lousy half hour to go until I could clock off officially and retreat to the safety of my apartment.

A group of women got up and left so I grabbed the rag we used to wipe down tables and disposed of their empty plastic coffee cups into the rubbish, feeling in a far happier mood now that I knew I just had to survive a mere thirty minutes being in the same room as the vampire before I could leave. Someone had happened to get cream cheese all over the table and I cursed quietly under my breath as I tried to rub all remnants of it clean off the table with the rag furiously. Kind of forgetting my goal while I was doing it, my eyes decided to fly straight over to where he was without any control on it.

He _was_ looking in my direction this time, I discovered, and I felt pathetically pleased when I took in that his clear blue eyes were intent on where my bosoms would be under my shirt. I was kind of leaning over the table while I scrubbed furiously, pushing myself really into it with moving the rag quickly against the stain, and even I could feel my boobs were jiggling a bit from the push-up bra I was wearing underneath my work shirt. I closed my eyes tightly, feeling a flare of heat hit me. _Was it possible for me to stop embarrassing myself in front of him? Geeze Louise. Or better question yet; Why the heck was I feeling embarrassed in the first place? I really needed to get a grip on myself!_

Telling myself to toughen up, I reopened my eyes and straightened from the table, maintaining his stare. At least he had the decency to know when was the appropriate time to stop staring at a woman's breast area and pay attention to her face instead. I'll give him credit there when credit was due.

Sick of acting like an embarrassed teen, I began approaching his table. I made my mind purposefully blank, so I wouldn't think too much or second-guess myself, and he leaned back in the chair, lifting his chin slightly so he could peer directly into my eyes. There was something awfully hypnotic about his gaze. I thought it had something to do with the color of his eyes; They were a lovely shade.

"How is that bottle of blood going for you?" I asked him, intentionally making my voice sound nice and sweet. His bottle of blood was sitting on the table, still full to the brim with the red liquid. I didn't even think he was drinking it. "Can I get you another?" I asked him, despite knowing he hadn't so much as sipped from it.

I suppose I was trying to make conversation, hopefully conversation that would make him realize that I was actually a fairly intelligent human being and not a bumbling nervous wreck. Or some weird gal who gets turned on by invading people's privacy and peering into their windows while they got in the buff.

His mouth quirked up into a smile and his eyes flared with wicked amusement at my innocent questions as he peered up at me. Wasn't sure why, and I realized I hated being kept in the dark and wary of this man. I wasn't sure what he was going to do to me, no less what a vampire like him would have wanted. I couldn't hear his thoughts, which would have helped considerably in working him out. It occurred to me that, around him, I was feeling pretty much like how any normal person does, when they're around someone they're somewhat attracted to, aesthetically anyway.

It was awkward and uncomfortable and I couldn't work him out at all.

"As I said, is there anything else I can get you?" I asked, working real hard to keep my voice level. He was testing my patience, this one was. "Can I get you another blood maybe, since obviously that flavor doesn't agree with you? Or I can maybe-"

My words were cut short when he interrupted me suddenly, "You_ know_ why I am here. You _know_ I didn't come all the way here for bottled blood." Just like before, his accent was showing through slightly in the way he pronounced certain words.

"Then why don't you tell me why you decided to stay here?" I asked him, clueless. I had no damn idea why he purchased a bottle of synthetic blood in the first place, if he knew he had no intentions of drinking it. What was the purpose of that?

"Why I decided to stay here?" It seemed as if he was musing that reason over thoughtfully in his head for a couple of seconds. He put his hand underneath his chin, rubbing his chin with his fingers as if considering how to answer that. Then he said, "Maybe I decided to stay here because I wanted to observe you, did you think of that?"

That left me nowhere to go, conversation-wise for a couple of seconds. I did feel my face flare up with heat again, though. "Right. And why would you feel the need to observe me?"

"Perhaps I am wondering what is best?"

"Best?" I repeated, arching my brows. "Best for what?"

"What is best to convince you into letting us get naked for each other."

I tried not to laugh, failed. No man had ever been so blunt and brutally honest with me before. I had to admit it was both refreshing and equally disarming.

"Look, sorry to burst your bubble but it won't be happening anytime soon," I informed him, laughing again anxiously. "I get what I did was wrong in watching you, I do. And if I've offended you in any way, I'm real sorry." I tried to look sincere and remorseful. "But you kind of brought it onto yourself. I'm a woman, and it's only... human nature for me to look at a delicious man getting nude when the opportunity presents itself. That said, just because I do watch you, it doesn't mean its an invitation for us to 'get naked with each other', like you say. Sorry to break it to you, but I'm not interested, and I'd appreciate it if you would kindly stop pestering me now while I'm attempting to work."

I glanced over at the clock again. Ten minutes. I had _just under ten minutes_ until I could finally pack up and go home for the night. _Thank God. _This Eric was really wearing me out.

"Well, I usually do not do something unless I know I get something in return," this Eric went on straightforwardly. "If I am going to do something, I expect a little... reciprocation for all my hard work. Most know this about me, and if they do not, they are already dead." I might have been mistaken, but his tone took on an edge. Almost as if there was a menacing threat underneath it all. My Lord, was he threatening me?

"That sounds pretty much like a threat," I pointed out, and my voice went disgracefully shaky. Threats from a vampire? Surely that couldn't be good. "Are you threatening me? If I don't 'let us get naked together' you'll do something to me, is that what you're trying to tell me, buster?"

"I have been getting naked for you since the very first night you moved into your apartment block," he reminded me phlegmatically, which was completely unnecessary of him, by the way.

I knew and remembered that, and he sure had. He was pretty much the sole reason I decided to move in across the street from him. It wasn't the view of the streets or the buildings that sucked me in, after all. It was the man who liked strutting around in his birthday suit, the man sitting in front of me now, who may or may not be threatening me to return the favor.

"I know I excite you, when I do. You tell me you are not interested in getting naked with me, but I know otherwise. I arouse you, and you are interested in my body. Looking at you, you seem a nice and attractive woman. I want to see your breasts and your skin. What makes you think I would not like to see you in return? You owe me this, do you not?"

I huffed in outrage, placing a hand on my hip. He was so unbelievable. "I don't owe you nothing," I told him, losing my temper. "For the record, I don't recall asking you to stand by your window and give me shows while you do your little squats and your yummy stretches. You did all that out of your own volition, so don't you dare give me this I-owe-you-now crap!"

"It is only fair," he said, sounding wounded.

_Only fair?_ But I never asked him to do anything for me. Okay, so I get that I probably shouldn't have looked as much as I had. But it was hard, and it was his fault, not mine. I'm only human, after all. But that didn't mean I owed him my body, or anything.

"Fair or not, I'm not getting naked for you anytime soon," I said, with a sigh. "You're wasting your time. And please, while you're at it, don't threaten me. I never asked for you to get naked for me all the time, and you know it. You just decided to do that on your own for... heaven knows why. So I don't owe you a glimpse of me without any clothes on."

He wasn't looking too pleased with me. It was as if he believed I had committed him a grave offense, when I had hardly done anything. Well, not anything intentionally, at least. I didn't think you could cross a vampire and get away with it scot-free. He was looking real glum and when he licked his lips, I saw his fangs were still out. I wasn't entirely sure what that meant for me, but I hoped I wasn't going to end up his latest victim.

"Still, I'll be waiting," he muttered quietly, in an extremely bad-tempered way. The moodiness didn't detract from his handsomeness, I felt. Still, knowing that he'd be waiting wasn't a very nice thing to learn.

Much to my relief, the clock told me it was time for me to finally leave and that my shift was finished for the night. With eagerness, I removed my apron and walked away from him, leaving him sitting there. I got into the employee room where I left my bag, and was relieved to be alone and away from him. I didn't know what I was going to do about the unexpected situation I had found myself in. Apparently, because Eric got naked and stood by his window so I could watch him, it meant that I owed it to him to do the same thing in return in showing my body off to him.

I had never been naked in front of anybody before so I didn't feel entirely comfortable about doing it in front of somebody. Since I had spent most of my life hearing people's thoughts, I shied away from anything sexual with a person for that reason alone. I didn't want to have to hear them thinking about the way my body looked, or anything negative about me. I had enough of my own doubts as it was. I considered what this Eric was asking me as I collected my belongings and found my car keys. On the bright side, I couldn't hear his thoughts, although I wasn't certain why. At least it would be easier, getting naked for a man if I had no troubles of hearing him thinking about all my flaws.

Only, as it turned out, Eric was no ordinary fella. He was a vampire, and that was a whole different ballgame. I had never came across a vampire before, obviously, so I didn't know what to expect with him. I sure found him sexy and interesting- and intimidating as hell.

Could I really do this for the vampire?

Could I push aside all my insecurities and get naked for him?

I really didn't want to have to owe a vampire anything. I assumed it wouldn't be good if you didn't pay them back or do whatever it was they expected you to give them as repayment. I wanted no trouble from him, and I sure as hell didn't want to be lying dead in a ditch somewhere afterwards.

I would just only be getting naked for him. It wouldn't kill me to do it, right? Besides, maybe if I did it once, I won't have to do it again and all will be well? I could only pray that were the case with him.

Once I got out of the employees room, carrying my belongings with me, I had my mind made up. I knew what I was going to do, and that was just giving him what he wants out of the hopes that this would all be resolved between us and that I wouldn't wind up some victim somewhere. But the vampire was gone. He was nowhere in the room and when I returned to his table, his bottle of blood was just sitting there, full and untouched by him. Why would he just up and leave?

It took me about fifteen minutes to get into the foyer of where my apartment building was. I took the elevator to the third floor, and was still thinking deeply about Eric's mysterious disappearance as I reached the door to my room. I unlocked it, slipped inside, and locked my door securely while dragging my legs over to my couch to dump all my belongings on it.

Then, out of sheer habit, I suppose, I turned and looked out the window straight over into Eric's place.

I found myself pleased to know what his name was. No longer did I have to refer to him as Mr. Long-haired Hunk, but Eric.

I discovered the lights were on, so he must have made it safely home all right. I couldn't see him anywhere, he wasn't sitting on his couch or walking around his kitchenette, and usually he wasn't a hard one to miss, being as magnificently tall as he was. He tended to stick out like a sore thumb in his apartment, which was especially great for me because it made it easier for me to ogle him while he went about his business.

Since I knew what was required of me, in the back of my mind, I went through my drawers and found the prettiest matching lingerie set I owned (I did not have many sadly), and carried them into my small bathroom. I got changed out of my work clothes, folded them up neatly, then changed into the fresh lingerie. They weren't sexy on me by any stretch of the imagination, I thought. The underwear and bra were a mellow yellow in color, with little frills on the straps and the band. I thought the color brought out my tan anyway, so hopefully there wouldn't be too many complaints about it.

I was no supermodel, of course. I wasn't rake-thin or probably what anyone would call sexy, but I did make do with what I had and I was fairly content with my body shape and size. God had given me a decent amount of cleavage, I had a wispy waistline, and I was of average height for a woman. Sure, I had my fair few body hang-ups like I assumed most women did, but all in all, I thought I was fine.

Just to make myself feel better, I shaved all necessary places I assumed a man would expect to be hair free (my armpits and my legs), grabbed my pink night robe from its hanging place on the back of the bathroom door, and slipped it on so I wouldn't be exposed too soon, and spent a couple of minutes retouching my makeup and brushing out the kinks in my hair due to having it up tightly all day.

I felt like I wanted to vomit as I looked at my reflection in the mirror, I was that nervous about the whole thing. I made myself take in a couple of deep breaths, then told myself for reassurance that it wasn't going to be so hard, that I might even surprise myself and come to enjoy it. While I didn't feel there was anything remotely sexy about me, he might feel otherwise. Body confidence is sexy in a woman, and I reminded myself of that. Fake it till you make it.

"You can do this, Sookie Stackhouse," I whispered to myself, trying to perk myself up. "You hold your head high and you go out there to that window and show him all you've got! Work it, girl!"

I was a big girl. I was perfectly capable of doing this. Or so I kept on telling myself.

My stomach was knotted with nerves as I stepped out of the bathroom and approached the window, looking out into his apartment. To my relief, Eric the vampire was there now, sitting on his couch. He had discarded his sweater and was shirtless and, per usual, I found him delicious despite our conversation tonight and his questionable threat. I couldn't see his face clearly, being as far away from each other as we were, but I thought I caught him raise his head. He stood from his couch and came closer to his window, his abdominals rippling and his broad shoulders held back, and I took that as my cue. I was positive I had all of his undivided attention.

Just to be on the safe side, I made sure there wasn't any other tenants near the windows of his building opposite me. I'd hate for anybody else to see me. One person seeing me was more than enough, and I didn't want any unwanted spectators but just Eric himself.

Well and truly getting it over with before I lose my nerve completely, I untied the sash of the robe from my waist, maneuvered my arms out of the sleeves quickly, and discarded it to the floor at my feet. I straightened my shoulders and tried to appear careless and confident as there, I stood, for once in my life bared to somebody other than myself in just lingerie. The distance between Eric and I helped some, and I found I didn't feel hardly as embarrassed or self-conscious as I was expecting I would, to be showing myself off to him. While I wasn't completely naked as a jaybird to him, I hoped it would be enough for him regardless to see me in undergarments alone.

I figured it was, because I caught his hands moving. They went slowly to the front of his trousers, and although I struggled to see what he was doing well, I assumed he was undoing his jeans and pulling down the zipper. Apparently not quite, though. I realized a second later what he was doing, when he shoved a hand in through the opening of his jeans, feeling around. I might have been inexperienced when it came to matters of sex, but I knew what his hand was doing down there. Oh, I knew all right. He was touching himself at the sight of me. Stroking himself. You didn't need to be experienced to know that.

And, surprisingly, I liked that he was. I liked that he was moved enough to do that to himself.

It rather turned me on; something which was the very last thing I was expecting to feel over it. It was a real boost to my confidence.

I was starting to feel idiotic, standing around, so remembering what he'd do for me, I attempted to copy him. I lifted my arms in the air, high as they would go, did a few squats and stretches, working real hard to get into the frame set that this was just me doing it all by myself in privacy and with no vampire watching and touching himself to me. Then I turned around so my back was facing the window, bent down real low with my behind sticking up in the air, and hoped he appreciated the scenery just as well as he seemed to the front.

Bent down, touched my toes with the tips of my fingers. Stood straight, turned to the side, ran my hand up my thigh. Ran my other hand through the strands of my hair. Down my chest, my stomach. Tried to look aroused and sexy while doing it.

Once I was lost with ideas on what else to do, as far as imitating Pilates went, I turned to face the window again. His head was tilted, chin high, long hair rippling down his back, hand still moving quickly at the front of his jeans at a pace that seemed almost impossible for my eyes to comprehend. Then the movements stopped, I caught him shudder from head to toe, then stiffen and go rigid, and I assumed then that he was good and done. My own job was complete here, and astonishingly, I felt real satisfied and pleased with myself, as if I had just passed a test with flying colors.

Then imitating him further, I blew him a kiss goodbye, grabbed my robe back up off the floor, covered myself up, and off I went. Now that what was required of me was done, I felt beat and ready to jump into bed. Hopefully this would have meant him leaving me alone for good now and him no longer pestering me for us to get naked together. After all, I had done more than my bit tonight, and he sure as hell got his own release out of it.

I was just brushing my teeth and grinning to myself, when I heard a loud thump on my front door. I stopped what I was doing, listening carefully. Then it happened again, a louder more frantic thump. Now who would be calling in at this time of the night? Surely it was too late for visitors now, right? Rinsing my mouth out under the tap and putting my toothbrush away, I stormed out quickly to answer my door as the pounding grew even more and more frequent.

"Who is it at this ridiculous time of the night?" I said loudly as I peered through the peephole. _And thank God for peepholes so you know in advance just who your visitor might be._

It was Eric himself, and as far as I could see of him, he was still shirtless. For some reason beyond me, he had decided to come over to my building. Bring this party over here and under more intimate conditions. He was standing outside the front door of my apartment after my little striptease. And for the life of me, I didn't know what to do about it.

"Open," he commanded, as if he believed my door would magically open itself for him. Which it didn't, of course.

I didn't know what to say in response to that. No less did I know whether I ought to invite him in or not, after what just happened. If I let him in, what if he expected the full deal now? For us to go all the way? I considered that for a moment. Would it be so bad if we did? I certainly wouldn't have any reason to complain. Sure, he was a vampire and it would be something different and exciting. I was tolerant of vampires, so it wasn't a concern to me to go there with one.

And I _did_ find him beautiful, in an entirely masculine way. _Of course_ I did.

But I had also never had sex before, and I had always believed I was the kind of woman to do it with that one man she really loved. Sex, I believed, was meant to be shared with somebody special, somebody you trusted with all your heart. I didn't know Eric all that well. Well, really, I knew nil about him... aside from him being a vampire and having a rocking body.

"Open," he repeated, letting his frustrations show in his tone of voice.

"Um, it's too late right now," I said lamely, the only excuse I could think of. "I don't have visitors at this time of the night. Sorry. You'll have to come again another night."

"I did come. I did. And I want to again. Inside."

I blinked in confusion. Something told me we were having a little miscommunication problem here. Miscommunications were best dealt with face-to-face, I knew, so I unlocked my door and pulled it open a fraction to see his face. I almost regretted it, because he was looking so good and tempting. His skin had a glow about it, probably from the orgasm he just had while stroking himself, I don't know. He pressed himself against my door, and it was heavy, and it was hard not to let it fall completely open. But I tried my best.

"Another time, please," I said, using my own weight to hold the door. "You should know I'm _not that_ kind of girl."

"Explain," he said, furrowing his brows. "What do you mean by this?"

I felt ashamed to have to say, but I forced myself to meet his eyes for all it was worth. "I've never done anything like it before," I whispered. "You know, sex. I'm a... virgin and, well, what I just did for you at the window, it was a completely new experience for me. Your also the very first vampire I've met- not that it matters- but... this is just a completely new ballgame to me, so I'm hoping you'll be able to respect and understand that."

"A virgin?" Fortunately, he didn't say it as if it was disgusting or some type of disease. If anything, I thought he looked even more excited by the prospect of us taking this party into my apartment. "Invite me in."

He had fang showing. Not really sure what I was meant to make of that.

"Uh, maybe another night. I'll pass, but thanks." Before I lost all my resolve, I tackled the door to close it fully and, finally, he was gone. Phew. I sure as hell was not ready to take this party further.

**Hope you enjoyed this one? Or was it too weird/crazy? Thank you guys so much.**


	5. Taking the Party Upstairs

**Hope you guys enjoy this one :) Feel free to let me know your thoughts. It makes my day! Thank you!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

A week passed, and the vampire Eric and I fell into a bit of a routine. We'd take it in turns.

He'd take off all his clothes one night, giving me a show by the window of his apartment. Then the next night, I'd do the same (except I never went all the way like he did, I kept it modest in my lingerie). The initial nerves and insecurity I felt the first time I did it started to disappear, until I felt like a new woman.

Now, I began to no longer feel self-conscious. If anything, I almost became addicted to it, getting undressed in just my bra and panties for someone. It was nice to let your hair down and have some fun, and to be a little naughty with another person. There was something oddly exhilarating and liberating in getting most of your gear off for another person; There was a real thrill involved.

I went from being an inexperienced and innocent young woman who grew up in small-town Louisiana conservatively, to one that felt confident within herself and happy with her body in as little as a week. Every time I took most of my gear off, Eric had gone out of his way to let me know how much he had appreciated it, in either stroking himself or blatantly staring in wonder.

And being bad had never felt so good.

Tonight, never had I felt so impatient for my shift to finish at work. Tonight was my night to strip down, and I was looking forward to it. I couldn't even keep the smile off my face as I went around, serving customers and taking down orders. I couldn't even stop myself glancing up at the clock either, or counting down the minutes till I could go.

When it finally came, I threw off my apron, told the manager I was leaving now that my shift had finished, and started the walk towards where my car was parked. I stopped at the end of the street and slid the cardigan I had brought with me to ward the chill off in the air, and then I was off again.

New York was very dark at night, and I had parked my car several blocks down the road. Luckily I had the streetlights to light up the paths so I could tell and see easily where I was going. I thought everybody in New York loved to live at night; Even at eight-thirty, people were out, walking in groups and laughing loudly. They were probably heading off to nightclubs or some type of social affair. At least you knew you were pretty much safe, if people were still out and about walking around.

I saw my car parked by its lonesome on the opposite side of the road, and I stopped by the footpath, checking to see the traffic was clear before I walked. That was when I heard it, from behind me. Someone was standing behind me, and I could hear their thoughts. Their thoughts were quite malicious, and I felt myself go all tense.

It was a man and he was trying to work himself up to do something to me. I couldn't figure out what that something was, but I knew it was likely something highly unpleasant. I'd heard that if you turn around and acknowledge a potential attacker, they would get scared-off doing something to you, so that was exactly what I tried to do. I turned around and looked the man square in the eye.

There was nothing impressive about the guy. He was barely an inch taller than me, and half his face was covered by a long, greying beard which was unkept. His nose was also red-raw, like he'd been suffering from a severe bout of the flu.

He had a dark grey beanie over his head and he was wearing a puffy jacket and old, ratty jeans that were torn at the knees. His shoes looked just as worn-out and old. I could tell me looking at him spooked him out a little, because he quickly looked away and avoided my eyes. I turned back around and took it as my moment to cross the road. I hoped me looking at him would have frightened him off, but I was wrong. Really, really wrong. I heard his footsteps following me across the road and he was keeping himself at a decent distance.

Although I had made it perfectly clear he was on my visual radar, it hadn't deterred him any. Courtesy of his thoughts, I could sense the impending danger there. Again, he was trying to get himself all psyched up to do something to me. I got this unpleasant feeling in my stomach; a terrible feeling that wouldn't go away, even as I tried to distract myself in sliding my hand into my purse and pulling out my car keys.

Something was going to happen, and I wasn't quite sure how to defend myself.

Deeply worried, I picked up my pace, jogging lightly towards the side of my car. It was lucky I was not wearing any impractical shoes like heels, otherwise I would have fallen straight on my behind, and only would have made it easier for him. Once I reached it, that was when it happened. He grabbed me roughly by my arm, flung me around, forced me to face him. I got ready to scream for help, but that was when he pushed a knife against the base of my throat to warn me not to. He was grasping a pocketknife in his right hand. I wondered why I hadn't noticed it before. It certainly would have helped in advanced had I known he was armed.

I was in trouble. Serious trouble.

His mind jumped from one extremity to the other. He didn't quite know what he wanted to do with me. At first, he decided he wanted to do sexual things to me. He hadn't had sex in years. But then he decided it was too public out, and that he'd have to settle on stealing my car instead. It would be easier to have a car to get around in.

While listening to his thoughts and hearing him mentally shifting through ways to get at me, I was aware I was freezing up, big time. This hadn't happened to me before, getting either near raped or robbed. I wasn't sure what to do. My hands were trembling at my sides and my tongue felt numb, so I could not speak or shout, for the life of me. All I could simply do was stare at the man nervously. All I could feel was that knife being pressed against my throat and how I could very easily have my throat slit by him if I didn't coöperate.

Finally deciding on what to do, he demanded in a deep voice, "Give me your wallet and keys, now!"

Since I did not want to die tonight or anytime soon, I gulped and tried to bring my shaking hands to work in doing what he said. Only they didn't seem to want to move. My arms felt all stiff, too heavy with fear.

"Give me your wallet and keys, I said!" Beanie Man shouted unpleasantly in my face, and his breath smelt real terrible. I was guessing it had been a while since he had gotten the chance to brush his teeth. "Do it now, bitch!"

He was getting real agitated, and I couldn't help the whimper that slipped from me when I felt the blade of his knife dig into my skin a little.

At that moment, it occurred to me that there was a high chance I was going to die. Death by mugging. But then, something happened. Something too quick for me to see or make any sense of.

"Now that is no proper way to speak to a woman," a strangely familiar voice said near us in sheer outrage, and then it happened.

With such unexpected force, Beanie Man was being pulled off me, his knife was being knocked to the ground at my feet, and he was lifted inches in the air by a pair of muscular arms wrapping around his waist. His feet were kicking furiously a couple of inches off the ground and he made a strangled, pained noise while he wiggled around, trying to get free from whomever was holding him. It was as if the person that lifted him up was so strong, and as if Beanie Man was just a toddler; Something that could easily be lifted and turfed around. I got the distinct impression whoever had his arms around him was squeezing too tight, and he must have been awfully powerful to pick a full-grown man up.

"Please, let me go," the man begged. "You're hurting me, man!"

"Then apologize to her," the man holding him said, in a cold and terrifying voice that gave me the shivers. "Apologize to Sookie and then I will put you down and let you be on your way, cretin."

_Sookie?_ Obviously the guy knew me somehow. My brain wasn't exactly working straight to fit all the dots together, though. I was too scared and fearing for my life.

"I'm sorry!" Beanie Man sobbed. "That what you want to hear, man? I'm sorry!"

Apparently that was exactly what my savior wanted from him, because he set the man down on his feet and without another word, Beanie Man was racing away from us like his life depended on it. Which, really, it did.

I was still trembling violently from the emotional shock when the man stepped closer towards me. It was too dark, I couldn't see him all that well, but for some reason I was less as scared as I had been minutes ago. I knew with this person, whoever he was, I'd be safe. And plus, he knew my name, heaven knows how. I was safe.

"Thank you," I panted, staring up at him. "Thank you for coming to my rescue, er... whoever you are. It means a real lot to me."

"Are you badly hurt?" The man asked me, and I detected a little bit of a familiar accent to his voice.

I looked at the shape of him more carefully, saw how tall he was and how his hair was a gray hue in the darkness and long. Only one person I knew of had that lovely, long hair, and that voice. It was then that it all completely sunk in, and losing my bearings, I fell with my knees against the road painfully, in both relief and surprise to learn who my savior was.

It was none other than Eric himself. He had saved me and intervened in time before I was a dead woman with a slit throat. I really wasn't expecting this.

"Oh, Eric," I said, with a lot of relief. "I didn't realize it was you for a moment there. Thank you so much!"

"Are you hurt?" he repeated, and it took me a moment to get my head straight. Was I hurt? Well, no. Thanks to him, I wasn't. My knees were aching from collapsing on the road, but I was fine. I reached up and touched my throat where the knife had gone with my fingers, feeling around, and I felt something wet come off. Probably a bit of blood. Aside from all that, I was good as new.

"No, I don't think I am," I told him slowly. "I'm just a bit shaken up from what happened. This hasn't happened to me before. Getting almost mugged and car-jacked and knifed and all, I mean."

"Is this your car?" I couldn't see well, but I knew he was referring to the car behind me that my back was facing. My car wasn't anything fancy; I had gotten it at a cheap price, and there was a big dent in the hood that the previous owners couldn't be bothered to fix up. But beyond that, it worked fine enough and got me where I needed to go.

"Yes, it is," I nodded, feeling a little breathless. "She's all mine."

"Do you want me to drive and take you home?"

That offer was extremely inviting. I felt too shaken to drive, or to no less do anything right now. Stripping for him tonight by the window definitely wouldn't be happening, now that all this had happened. I felt too tired and emotionally overwhelmed.

"That'd be real kind of you," I replied softly. "Please, would you?"

I stood up all by myself, which was a bit of an effort. My legs felt shaky, but somehow I managed to get myself over to the passenger's side without anymore of his help. I handed him my keys, he used them to unlock the doors and then I was sliding in, still trying to process everything in and remain calm as I possibly could. It had been a long and eventful night. And not exactly in the best of ways.

Eric drove, and it was kind of funny for me to not have to tell him directions. We lived across from each other, so it wasn't really necessary of me. It was also a relief not having to, though. I was perfectly content with sitting quietly in the seat, resting my forehead against the cool glass of the window on my side with my eyes closed. It was nice and peaceful too, since I couldn't hear Eric's thoughts. I could rest and recover mentally that much easier with only my trail of stressed-out thoughts as company to listen to.

After a while of drifting in and out of sleep while he drove, Eric finally spoke behind the wheel, bringing me back to the real world. "You're bleeding," he pointed out to me, and when I forced my eyes open and turned to look at him, I found his eyes were off the road and were on my throat instead, where the knife had nicked me. He licked his lips and I assumed he was rather excited by that. His fangs were out, too, with the white tips peeking under his top lip.

"I know," I muttered tiredly. "He had his knife on my throat. I guess somewhere along the line he actually pushed in deep enough to get me. It doesn't hurt, though. It stings a little, but it-"

My words died in my mouth when he suddenly reached over and swiped his thumb against the sore spot. I guess he got a bit of my blood smeared on the tip of it, because he brought his thumb to his mouth and sucked it off. He threw in a couple of deep noises from the base of his throat, like he was complementing me on the taste of my blood by doing it. _Was I supposed to feel flattered or pleased by that?_

"Delicious," he whispered, his voice taking on a deep raspy edge, and it made me feel funny.

It wasn't everyday someone said my blood tasted delicious, that's for sure.

Unable to help it, I laughed out loud. He made me real nervous. "You're a vampire," I said, smiling a little. "I bet you think all blood tastes delicious!"

He made a deep humming noise, so I assumed he was agreeing. Then he asked, "Why do you work? You work at that place, yes?"

I laughed again. I thought he was joking. "Are you serious?" It occurred to me he _was_ being serious, when he looked my way quickly while giving his head a little shake to get the tendrils of hair that had fallen in his blue eyes away. There was nothing but a grave seriousness in his expression as he eyed me expectantly. It took me a moment to figure out how to respond. "Well, you work too, right? We all need to work and get in a regular income, otherwise how can we afford to live? I need to work to pay my bills and my rent. Money doesn't just fall from trees, right? You gotta work hard for your money."

"But you _do_ have a good man who provides for you? He buys you pretty things? Makes you feel good and cherished?"

It was as if he still lived in another time. "Um, no. I have no man in my life to speak of. I... I told you the depths of my inexperience that night you showed up at my apartment door, I think." I couldn't maintain eye-contact with him after telling him that. Was he trying to snoop around into my personal life, see if he has a chance to ask me out, make sure he wasn't stepping on any toes? Pathetically, I found myself hoping he was. I wouldn't have minded going out on a few dates with this one, and getting to know him on a more personal level.

"I assumed as much," he said quietly, and when I looked at him again, he was concentrating on the road. I took the moment to study his profile, admire the way his hair framed his face, made his cheekbones stand out, his dimpled chin, strong nose. Courtesy of the lights reflecting on him on the dashboard, I could finally completely see what he was wearing tonight, and he appeared very Gothic in style; Wearing leather pants and a tight black T-shirt, with a leather cord necklace and its pendant attached to it safely tucked in and hidden under the neck of the T-shirt. He still looked slightly agitated over what had happened to me with that mugger, and I couldn't blame him. "I gathered you were a somewhat lonely woman. That was why I had no qualms in getting naked for you, as I do. I felt you needed some enjoyment in your life, and what better way than to show you my body?"

_Here he went, about getting naked for me again..._

But really, it couldn't have just been for me and my own personal enjoyment, right? Surely he enjoyed it himself. It was obvious to me he enjoyed his body, and knew fair well how wonderful he looked.

We passed into our street where our buildings were, and he was supposed to take the left into the tenants parking lot, but instead, he took a swift right into the parking lot of his apartment building instead. Maybe he had just forgotten and drove in due to habit?

"Um, you're going into the wrong parking lot," I pointed out to him apprehensively. "Mine's across the road." I only just managed to say this as he maneuvered my car effortlessly into a vacant spot. Already, he had the engine cut off which meant the headlights and rear lights quickly went with it too.

"You will come into my apartment tonight," he told me while pulling off his seatbelt, and there was no compromise in his tone. Clearly this was one man (well, vampire) used to getting his own way. "We get naked for each other this time without windows or distance in the way. I want to make sure you are all right after what happened. You can sleep in my bed." He said all this without even asking whether it was all right with me. Truth be told, I wasn't completely sure what I did want.

I couldn't deny I liked his forwardness and his lack of subtlety though. He was straight to the point, and you had to admire that in a man.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know if I'm ready for-"

He leaned over towards my seat, slipped one of his large hands behind my neck and held me rigid in place, and then he kissed me.

I was unresponsive and stiff in my seat through the shock for a good few seconds, while his lips moved against mine. Last thing I was expecting was for him to just dive in and kiss me. His lips were fairly cold, but it wasn't unpleasant. No, it was rather nice... being kissed by someone of the opposite sex.

Maybe he could sense my hesitance, because his lips against mine worked slowly and leisurely, until I felt myself warm up to it. I made myself return the kiss by parting my mouth a little and moving my lips the way his was, then I suppose he took it as an invitation to slide his tongue right in. I could feel the difference of temperature with our tongues, and it was strange. I touched the tip of his tongue tentatively with mine, I even felt the sharp points of his glossy fangs with it, and his hand moved upwards from the nape of my neck and I felt him stroke and gently fist the chignon of my hair as you do when you touch and caress a kittens fur.

It got me worked up a good bit- my body felt warm all over, and there was a strange dampness below in my underwear- and when he finally moved back and reopened his eyes to look at me, he looked just as worked up as I felt. His eyes were a bit droopy, his pupils were heavily dilated and darker with longing, and he was panting as if breathless himself.

"All right then," I whispered with a tentative smile, hardly recognizing myself. "Let's go into your apartment. That's a real great idea."

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><p><strong>Hope this one wasn't a let-down? Thank you guys so much, you're so kind, it makes my day! Thank you!<strong>


	6. Pillow Talk

**I own nothing to do with the Sookie Stackhouse series, it belongs to its rightful owners. I'm just a silly fan of both the books and the show :D**

**I want to thank you guys so much. Hoping you enjoy this one :)**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter Six<strong>_

I really didn't know what I was getting myself into, in agreeing to head into his apartment with him for the night. Well, I suppose, really, I did, and I felt awfully nervous as it dawned onto me while following him into the elevator up to his floor, that there was no going back.

It was too late to change my mind and really, after what had just happened with unpleasant Beanie Man trying to mug me and steal my car, and how he had saved me like my own personal vamp in shining armor, I wouldn't have minded some company.

I couldn't seem to stop trembling, not for the life of me, as the elevator doors closed and we started moving up towards his floor. My hands were shaking so badly, even as I clutched onto my purse tightly with them to hopefully stop them from doing it, and I felt both physically and emotionally drained after what had happened to me. I also felt ridiculously on the verge of breaking down and crying; Something I did not want to do in front of him.

I was pretty damn sure a crying woman was not an attractive sight to any man, and I was determined to keep my tears at bay in front of him.

The elevator finally dinged on his floor, and he stepped out first.

I got the good distraction I needed in seeing how excruciatingly tight the leather pants he was wearing looked. They squeaked a little every time he walked, and they showed off his ass very nicely. When he turned around slowly to make sure I was following him into the hallway, I saw the front part of him in the pants as well. They certainly didn't leave much to the imagination. There was a very prominent bulge there, like it was almost straining to breathe in those pants.

If there was one thing I knew for sure, he was very courageous to wear something so tight like them in public.

Obviously he was not only proud of his body, but he was also extremely proud of the girth of his package below, too.

"Are you all right?" he asked me, with what sounded like sincere concern, which was very sweet of him.

With tremendous effort, I looked up and away from his groin in his leather pants. I couldn't quite meet his eyes, so I focused on his throat instead, and the pale muscles around it. His Adam's apple. "I'm fine," I said, but my voice suggested otherwise. It sounded weird. Squeaky, almost. "I'm just still a little shaken up by what happened, is all. I can't seem to quit shaking."

_Like I'd admit I was checking him out in those leathers, yeah right._

"I am sure that is a completely natural reaction, given what happened to you tonight," he said, and my eyes were fixated on the way his throat muscles moved. "You have had a rough start to the night."

"I guess that's true," I said, feeling a tense smile flit across my mouth. "Thanks again so much for helping me out," I added while following down the hallway towards his door, just in case he didn't know how grateful I was. "That was real kind of you. I wouldn't know what to do if he had taken my car. I'm kind of... struggling to make ends meet at the moment and I wouldn't know how get places without my car, nor could I afford to buy another one, so thank you."

"Please, speak no more of it," he said, with a massive shrug. "I couldn't just do nothing and let you die, could I? With you dead, there would be no excitement left. No one to get naked for." He said all this with nothing but brutal honesty. While disconcerting, it was rather nice, being around someone who didn't care about being polite and just said it how it truly was.

If I couldn't read his mind and know how he was truly thinking, at least he gave me that. Some brutal and shameless honesty.

I stood around awkwardly with not knowing what more to do or say, while he unlocked the door to his apartment.

I hated the silence, so I just said, first thing that came to me, "Nice pants, by the way." I regretted saying it the instance it flew out of my mouth, and I felt myself flush all over.

But when he turned to glance back at me while pushing his door widely open, I could tell he was pleased that I had bothered to comment on them. "Yes, I like them too." He looked down at the front of them, at his groin, and the very noticeable bulge. "You probably don't think so, but they are very comfy to wear."

"They don't leave much to the imagination," I said, again without thinking. "You look snug as a bug in a rug."

"Yes, you could say that." Surprising me, he laughed; An actual real, pleasant belly laugh, which shocked me more than anything.

In my mind, I had always assumed vampires were the no-nonsense, deadly serious kind. Who would have thought they actually had a good sense of humor and knew when to laugh? I loved the sound of his laughter and the way his eyes crinkled as he did it. He wasn't as scary or intimidating if he laughed at what I was saying.

"Snug as a bug in a rug," he repeated thoughtfully, and he chuckled again. "I have never heard that term before, but yes. You could say it is as snug as a bug in a rug down there."

It took all my self-restraint not to let my eyes linger to where that particular spot was that he was referring to. Instead, I brought my eyes down to my hands, which were squeezing the inanimate life out of my purse.

"Please, come inside," he said, obviously knowing I needed the encouragement. So taking in a deep breath, that was exactly what I did. It was dark in his apartment, but when I heard the door close, Eric moved to turn on the lights so I could see.

It was so very strange to be standing in the room I had so often peeked into from way across the street in my own room.

I had seen into his apartment through the window- not at a close distance like this, though. With my regular human eyes, I couldn't see much or make out his furniture very well, now as I stood here in the apartment I had looked in through the window many times, and as he turned on a lamp and everything brightly lit up, I saw that couch he sat in often facing the window.

His kitchenette was about the same size mine was, but his was very neat and looked as if he didn't use it very often. There was minimal appliances- just a stainless steel refrigerator and a basic microwave to probably heat his bottles of blood with.

He had no kitchen table, but he did have a coffee table in the center of the room. Plain brown drink coasters were set on each corner and there was a large, fluffy crimson red rug on the floor that seemed to clash with the plain carpet.

Just by looking at the size of his place, though, I could tell it was no doubt in more of a higher price range than the one I was living in just across the road. He probably paid much higher than I did in rent. Mine had adjoining rooms from the kitchenette to where I slept, but he had two separate rooms in his- probably the bathroom and his bedroom.

"How much do you pay for rent here?" I asked, hoping it wasn't too rude.

He didn't seem to mind, either way. When I turned to look at him, I discovered he was watching me intently while I took everything in; His large hands clasped out in front of him, head tilted slightly as he observed me and his long mane of hair falling across his forehead.

"I pay two thousand weekly," he admitted, with a shrug. It was definitely way more pricey than how much I paid weekly. I paid just under six hundred weekly and, even at that price, I often struggled to meet the deadline, what with my wage. "The buildings on this side definitely seem to be larger than the ones that you live in."

I was about to ask him if he had a set of binoculars or something on him which enabled him to see the rooms so well from where he was all the way to across the street into my complex. But then I sort of belatedly remembered that he was a vampire and no doubt, they probably had exceptional eyesight.

Still holding onto my purse tight like it would somehow protect me, I walked over towards the window, looking straight over to where my room was. And, surely enough, you could see it. Of course, it was dark over there inside my apartment with no lights on because I wasn't home. But you could definitely see it.

The squeaking of Eric's pants as he moved warned me that he was approaching me from behind, and I felt my heart stop for a single second as I felt him behind me, standing way close to me. I heard my breath catch in my throat as he stood close enough that I could feel him brush against my side, and I felt all embarrassingly clammy as he reached down and slipped his fingers over my wrist.

He had to physically pry my hand from my purse, because I was clutching it that hard in all my nerves and inner tension. He lifted my arm up, moving in to me in a way that made me feel his entire chest against my back, and since he had lifted my arm, he made it point in the direction of where my room was. Well, my hand went limp, so I never really pointed. But the meaning of what he was trying to do was not lost on me.

"There," he whispered, and it was then I realized his face was close to the side of mine. His voice was very quiet and soft, near my left ear, and I couldn't help the shiver that ran down my spine due to his closeness. "There is where your room is. There is where you get near naked for me. There is where I always am watching you." His other arm went around me, and he rubbed my stomach through the fabric of my shirt.

I didn't know whether it was his intention or not, but I found this entire thing rather sensual.

Just because I was inexperienced with sex and I hadn't done it before, I wasn't that inexperienced to know when I was feeling wildly aroused by something. It'd happened to me a couple of times- when watching this glorious man undress by his window for me, especially- this tight, pleasurable feeling in the center of my stomach and a warm tingling sensation from right... down... south.

Only difference was, all those times it had happened he was nowhere near me and it felt like a safe distance. He had turned me on, and I couldn't do anything about it, because he was all the way across the road through his window. Now, however, there was nowhere to run and hide.

He was near and he was actually touching me and talking to me. And the fact he was made it dangerous. Too dangerous. If he kept on making me feel this way, who knew what I was capable of doing to him?

There was no distance or windows keeping us safely apart now. How was I supposed to act responsible now?

Of course, I knew I was the only one to blame for getting myself into this dangerous situation to begin with. It was too tempting, and I found him dead sexy. Pardon the pun.

But I also knew the type of girl I was, good and well.

I wanted to know a man, all facets about him, before I let us go all the way. I knew it was the only way I'd feel most comfortable about going all the way with someone. I didn't know this man at all; I didn't know what he did for living, or why it was he tended to invite women over, only to just bite them and have some of their blood without even so much as having sex with them.

While I could not read him, I knew he was kind of expecting us to do some wicked and sinful things to each other. I definitely didn't feel ready to do those things just yet however. And hopefully he wouldn't mind.

It took me a good while to find my voice again. I was too overcome with delight at being close to him. "Um, you mind if we take this slow?" I asked, not even recognizing my voice. It sounded strange and different, even to my own ears. Too slow and breathless.

"Of course," he answered after a beat, and I heard him clear his throat gently as he made himself move away from me. "Can I get you something? I don't stock food here, but I can get you some water for a drink?"

Water sounded real good, so I nodded and sighed internally with relief as he moved well away from me and got underway with doing that. I wasn't sure why, but it felt as if his apartment was scorching. Either that, or I was burning up a temperature.

Pretending as if he wasn't there in the room with me while he fussed around fixing me a glass of water, I sat my purse down on his coffee table and moved to remove my cardigan. I could feel him watching me as I yanked my arms out of the sleeves, but I deliberately paid no attention of him as I folded my cardigan up neatly and sat it on the back of his couch. Even without it on, I still felt too hot, though, and I felt quite light-headed too. Must have been all his doing.

He handed me the glass of water and I gulped the entire thing down in a couple mouthfuls. "Thank you," I whispered, remembering to show some politeness. "Oh, that's better."

"Another?" he asked me quietly, and I thought he sounded confused.

"No, thanks." I forced myself to smile at him as I met his eyes. I put the empty glass down on a coaster, fanning my face. "I don't know if it's just me, but it feels awfully warm in here. You feel it too?" He certainly looked hot to me, but I was in no way talking about temperature-wise.

"Hot or cold, I don't feel it anymore."

"Must just be me then." I laughed anxiously as I stared at him, not knowing what to do with myself. Maybe it was a bad idea, agreeing to come over after all? I didn't know what to do, and I was probably making an idiot of myself. "Your place is real lovely, by the way."

"Thank you," he said, smiling. He looked real pleased. "Could I show you my bedroom?"

"Sure, please do," I simply said, the only thing I could think of.

I was walking straight into another dilemma all of my own doing, as I followed him into the other room. He flicked on the light and there it was, his bedroom. There was no windows in this room, and he had a rather large lock on the back of the door. As for his bed, it was way bigger than mine. King-sized, I was guessing. His sheets were a deeper red than the rug he had in the other room, and I felt stupidly tempted to rush straight on over to that bed and sprawl out on it like a cat.

He knocked on his door and it brought my attention away from his bed to him instead, like a good girl. "For protection purposes," he explained, fiddling with the big lock. "I do not want any intruders inside my bedroom during the day, for obvious reasons." I could tell I was staring at him blankly, so he added, "I am more vulnerable while I am out and sleeping for the day. If you are going to stay here for the night, I hope you won't mind locking the door before you go when it's morning."

"Oh, of course," I agreed. It seemed simple enough. "I understand. I'll lock it when I leave, that's no trouble."

I looked at his big bed again, and then deciding to hell with it, I walked over to it slowly. I turned to sit down, and the instance my tosh touched the edge of the bed, it actually wiggled and I very nearly fell right off onto my butt. Eric was watching me, so it wouldn't have been very good for me, had I done it. When I leaned back, propped up on my elbows while staring at Eric as he walked closer towards his bed to join me, it moved again, as if there was something alive underneath it.

"It is a waterbed," Eric explained, and finally I understood why it seemed to be moving. A waterbed. Huh, no wonder.

He paused by his bed and crouched down to pull off his shoes- which were large and black polished loafers- and realizing how rude I was to get on his bed without removing my shoes, I quickly did it too, kicking off my trainers and letting them fall loudly on the floor.

Once he had successfully removed his shoes, he kicked them aside carelessly and leaving me unprepared, he full on dived on his bed beside me. The bed lurched to one side terribly at his sudden weight and I made a startled noise at the thought of it suddenly bursting. It couldn't possibly burst on us, right?

"Good grief," I breathed shakily, while he made himself more comfortable by stretching out. "I'm surprised you don't ever get seasick."

He laughed and lay with his head propped up on his hand and an elbow on the mattress and I slid up a bit closer to the pillows so I could comfortably do the same.

"Don't you find it hard sleeping on a waterbed?" I asked him, just to make general conversation, while I rested the side of my face on my elbow.

He laughed again, a kind of silent, breathless laugh, and I found myself warming up to the sound of his laughter a great deal. It was still so surprising to me that a vampire could laugh, and freely. "You get used to it, after a while."

We just lay there in silence on his bed for a while, staring at each other, and I was gradually starting to feel a lot less nervous and awkward around him, thank goodness. You'd think that since I'd spent a whole week getting in my bra and panties for him, that I wouldn't feel so shy around him anymore. It wasn't entirely the case, though.

He was looking down at me, and then I saw him raise his head a little, sticking his nose out. I was pretty positive he had just sniffed the air around him, including probably what he could smell of my warm, gushing blood.

"Did you just sniff?" I asked incredulously, and he covered his mouth over with the palm of his hand discreetly.

"You are asking me if I just sniffed?" he asked in what sounded like disbelief, but it was kind of hard to hear him well when his hand was muffling everything. "Of course not. What do you think I am?" I knew he definitely did sniff just then, but I decided to let it go, since it seemed he wanted me to.

"Have you lived in New York long?" I asked, curious. I didn't know much about him, so I was definitely keen on learning about him now while I had the chance.

"Five years now. And you only just moved here three months ago?"

"Yep, that's true." It was weird that he knew the precise time I'd been here in New York. He must have been paying attention when I had moved in. "I'm from Louisiana originally, if you couldn't already work out my accent..."

"I knew that the instance you first talked to me," he admitted a little smugly, narrowing his blue eyes at me. "Why did you come here? It's a long way?"

I was dreading this question. I didn't want to reveal to him about my disability, because I didn't want to turn him off. So, I kept it short and sweet. "I just needed a change, I guess. Not only just of scenery, but... a place where I could start over. Turn a new page, if you will."

"What about your family? You have family back there, yes?"

I felt my heart give a little pang at that. "I do. I have my grandmother and my older brother back at home."

"And you don't miss them?"

"I do miss them a lot," I sighed heavily. "But they understood that I needed a change. They knew what was best for me. I just... I couldn't stand being around the same folks in town anymore. I needed somewhere different, somewhere no one knew about my reputation and somewhere I could truly start over. I guess that pretty much sums up why I came here in the first place."

"What's this about reputation?" Damn it. He had picked out the one thing I was praying he would overlook.

"I just had a reputation back home, and not a very good one." He was staring at me expectantly, and I could tell he wouldn't let it go until I completely told him, so I added reluctantly, "Well, people believed I was... crazy. Rumors spread around town and people were kind of... scared of me. Or just plain wary. They didn't much like the fact that I was different. So that's why I had to move. I saved all my money from working at Merlotte's, which was a bar, and then, here I am."

"How could they come to the conclusion that you were crazy or different?" He just sounded as if he was curious and simply trying to understand better.

"Well, I just..." I paused for a moment, trying to work out the easiest way to explain it. "I hear... voices inside my head." I tried to gauge his reaction to that, holding my breath. I was waiting for the moment he pushed me away, said everyone was right. But it never came. His expression was too hard to figure out; It was completely unreadable to me, and he just sat up straighter against the pillows, while brushing his long hair out of his face to one side.

"You hear voices?" He finally said softly, after what felt like an excruciatingly long time. "You are right, Sookie. That is crazy, get away." He made sure I knew he was playing by laughing. "I am just kidding," he went on, in case I never worked it out. "I knew a woman like that once, in the early seventies. She was amazing and wild in bed. She said she heard voices, telling her what to do and how to act. Is that how it is for you?"

Something told me we were having a misunderstanding. "No, it isn't really like that," I explained briskly. "It's more that I can... hear what people are thinking. I hear their thoughts inside my head. Like I'm... telepathic."

Understanding immediately crossed his expression and he raised his left eyebrow at me. "Oh. So you hear thoughts? Can you hear mine right now?"

"I can't," I confessed, fighting back the impulse to grin crazily. "Everything is silent with you. It's the first time it has ever been like that before. It's... lovely, though. I think maybe you being a vampire has something to do with that?"

He seemed to think that over for a few seconds, and then he shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know."

We fell into another silence after that, and he shuffled on the mattress a bit closer to me. I had a very tempting urge to run my fingers through his gorgeous hair, and that was exactly what I did. I lifted my hand and combed my fingers through it carefully, feeling the texture. His hair was amazing, and I never thought I could ever be envious over a man's hair before.

"I really like your hair," I admitted, just in case he hadn't realized that. He laughed softly and didn't seem to mind me touching it, which was a relief. I'd hate to do something he wasn't fine with.

I was just having my own fun, in using both hands to try scoop his hair up to imagine what he'd be like with short hair, when he wiggled a bit closer so he was above me with his head. He just watched me with a rather solemn look on his face, while I occupied myself in playing with his hair, and I had to admit, I was enjoying every second of being in his company, surprisingly. First night I saw him prancing around his apartment in the nude, I had liked him. But now... it was more so. He was not at all what I was expecting, and I meant that in a very good way.

He made a sudden noise, as if remembering something, and he sat up quickly. I just watched him, very content with doing that, until he grabbed the hem of his shirt and quickly pulled it off. So now he was bare-chested and then he slid off the bed quickly and I had to close my eyes when I heard the very telling rustling noises as he got rid of his leather pants, too.

"We were supposed to be getting naked," he reminded me unnecessarily. But by then, I had already sat myself up and was shuffling out of my shorts and my T-shirt. I kept on my bra and panties- as I liked to do, and mostly felt comfortable with- and much to my relief, he did not protest or comment on it as he got back on the bed, this time leaning on his stomach.

I knew he was full-blown nude, when as I laid back down on my back while covering my stomach with my arms, he deliberately shoved his ankle in between my feet and rubbed. His foot was pretty cold, and he had hairy shins but the normal amount for a man, and I had to cover my hands over my mouth to stifle a very childish squeal.

"Why are you so cold?" I asked him in shock through my fingers.

"I am vampire," he said amusedly, and I got more than just a shock when he grinned at me in a somewhat mischievous way as he took hold of my hands and brought them down from my mouth. Then he brought his head down to kiss me. Again, I wasn't expecting it, just like I hadn't expected him to do it in the car, and my entire body jerked involuntarily.

He was definitely a very good, very experienced kisser, and I sighed in his mouth, in a sort of heavenly way. Now I definitely was not regretting my impulsive decision in agreeing to come over to his apartment. So far, it had been fun.

**Hope this chapter wasn't a disappointment/too silly? What do you think of this Eric and Sookie? Should Eric get more possessive of Sookie, or do you think he's being too nice for a vampire? LOL I hope they aren't too out of character, this is my first time writing a fan fiction, so it's pretty scary and I don't know if I'm failing miserably at it!**

** Thank you guys so much for your lovely reviews and the alerts I've received. I never expected that at all. Hope you're all well, and see you next update! **


	7. Playing Hard to Get

_**Hey guys,**_

_**I hope you are all well. Happy Thanksgiving and X-Mas. So sorry I have taken so long to update.**_

_**I do hope you enjoy this one hehe.**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter Seven<strong>_

When I woke up, I jerked suddenly, alarmed by the strange surroundings I found myself in. It was pitch dark around me with no light coming from any windows like there usually was in my own apartment bedroom, and I grew aware that I was in an unfamiliar room. My head was resting on a pillow and I was warm and cozy underneath some silk sheets that were not my own, but the most noticeable difference was that there was someone else under the sheets with me. Their feet were tangled around mine- large, cold bare feet- and the rest of their body was pressed up against me on an angle.

Since when did I sleep with someone?

I experienced a weird and sudden moment of intense fear. Why wasn't I in my own room, in my own bed? Since when do I sleep with someone? That someone was definitely naked all the way, considering I felt nothing but exposed skin on me.

"You fall asleep easily, don't you?" An amused voice suddenly spoke near me in the darkness. It took me a moment too long to piece it all together, but once I did, I felt myself calm down wonderfully.

Oh, of course. I was in bed with the hunk from across the street, the one that took his gear off for me early mornings and late nights. Eric. Eric the vampire. I had agreed to come over to his apartment and, now, here we were. I realized there was no true need to panic, although I did feel rather embarrassed for having fallen asleep so rudely in his bed with him. What if he had been nudging for me to head back over to my apartment during the night? How rude of me.

"Oh boy, I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice thick with sleep. "I must have fallen asleep. Your bed was just so comfy, I couldn't help it." I turned on my back and blinked several times, hoping my eyes would adjust to the complete gloomy darkness, and I'd make him out. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't see him completely; I could only just make out the shape of his face, his white hair in the dark, and his eyes as they shined back at me. "Would you mind turning on a light or something?" I asked, as politely as I could.

The bed lurched as he moved, and then next second I was horribly blinded by a lamp he had switched on. I covered my eyes, vaguely aware that he had slithered back in under the sheets with me, and I felt myself shudder all over as he slid his feet in between mine. You could definitely notice the contrast in temperature between his feet and mine. Not to mention the length.

After rubbing my eyes with my fingers to wake myself up a bit, I let them fall and glanced over at him. He was on his stomach, resting on his elbows, watching my face intently. His gorgeous hair was resting perfectly on his back and broad shoulders. The blanket only just covered his lower back, and there was a lot of him to see, at the front anyway. It took me a good minute to recall he was completely naked, unlike me. Thank God the blanket was covering the most vital part of him.

"Aren't you tired at all?" I murmured in surprise. He certainly didn't look tired in the slightest. No, he was unfairly clear-eyed and looked energetic despite how late in the night it probably was.

"Not yet," he said, in a deep voice. "I will be in four more hours, though. Once the first ray of sunlight comes up."

He's a vampire, Sookie. Duh.

"Oh, of course. I had a... brain fart moment." It slipped out of my mouth so thoughtlessly, I clapped a hand over my mouth, reeling in embarrassment. _Way to go, embarrassing yourself by talking about farting in front of a vampire._

"Brain fart?" He repeated, and I heard the amusement good and well in his tone. "I have never heard that before either. What exactly is a brain fart?"

"Just a moment of not thinking fast enough or clearly."

"Oh, I see now."

He shrugged a shoulder carelessly and licked his lips. I noticed with some nerves that those pair of fangs were out, long and glistening. Clearly he had gotten excited about something while I was dozing. I tried not to stress too hard about what that something might have been. Hopefully he hadn't copped a feel of me or had peeked under my bra or panties while I was out, drifting off deeply. Surely he wouldn't have, though, right?

"What do you like to do to keep yourself occupied?" I asked curiously. "Night can be long."

"I work so the hours go quicker that way," he explained, and he lifted a hand and used the tip of his thumb to brush a few stray strands of my hair back away from my eyes. My stomach muscles clenched again, and I felt myself shiver uncontrollably. He was having a very shivery effect on me. "If I am not working, I keep myself busy in other ways."

I nodded to show I was following him. "Where is it that you work?"

"I own a bar in the Upper East Side of Manhattan," he said, sounding rather proud of himself. "Actually, I used to own a bar in Shreveport, in Louisiana. Did you live near Shreveport or go near there?"

"We never really went outside of Bon Temps when I was living there," I admitted, but I was real pleased to know we had some common ground. "Is your bar still there?"

"Not anymore. Business was not doing so well, so we had to close it down. But we relocated here, and business seems to be running far more smoothly up here than it was down in Shreveport. Our current economic crisis doesn't seem to affect the people here as much."

I knew next to little about politics or the current state of our economy, but I couldn't deny I felt glad for him that his bar-running business was going well. "What's your bar called?" I asked, wondering if I knew of it. I wasn't one for much of a social life, though.

He shared an indulgent chuckle to himself over my question. Wasn't exactly sure why. But with his fangs out and everything, I wasn't sure whether I ought to feel a bit scared for my safety. "It is called Dracula's," he finally said after a moment, grinning to himself.

"Right. Dracula's, as in Bram Stoker's-"

"Yes," he cut me off passionately. "Dracula is somewhat of a hero to me. It seemed the right name for the bar. Not to mention, with the name... it makes it obvious what the bar is all about, which is vampires. Mostly, people come because of their curiosity."

"Right," I nodded, understanding him completely. "Because Dracula is a vampire, and when they go to your bar, that's definitely what they are gonna see and get."

"Exactly." He seemed pleased I got it so quickly. "I am not sure whether you have noticed, but not many vampires are living here in New York. They prefer... other areas. We have found it is easier to make a bigger profit and to draw customers in that way, when they know for sure what the bar is all about." Through his explanation, he had taken one of my hands in his, gripping it. Although he wasn't holding too tight, I could still feel the strength in his fingers, the sinewy bones. "You should come in one night and see it all for yourself."

I smiled, pathetically excited by the idea. "Well, maybe one night I will, for sure. I'd really like that," I said, giving his hand a little squeeze with my own. He let my hand go and started running his back and forth over my forearm repetitively, trailing his fingers around my skin. I got the feeling I was like a pet, a pet cat he was stroking and being gentle with. Thinking that way didn't make me feel too good about being near him; Another uncontrollable shudder rippled though me, and I exhaled out a shaky breath loudly.

"Do I make you feel cold, Sookie?" he asked me uncertainly. "Or are you not cold at all, but instead frightened of being in my presence?" His blue eyes were intense as they searched my face for the answer on that. It took all I had not to glance away.

It took me a moment to figure out how to explain it right. "Your skin is just super cold. I wasn't expecting it." I shrugged, forcing a tight-lipped smile. "I guess the fact that I've never been in a room with a vampire before is also a contributing factor in why I'm all trembly. I've never so much as even met a vampire before you, so I... I don't quite know what to expect. I'm a little frightened and intimidated of you, to be honest here."

"Well, you don't need to be frightened or intimidated." I could tell he meant it, but with his fangs still out, it was kind of lost on me; the comforting effect he was probably aiming for while telling me that. "Tell me, as I am interested in knowing. Do I live up to your expectations so far of what you envisioned meeting a vampire would be like?"

"I'm not sure," I admitted cautiously. "I don't think I quite envisioned it going this way, where you'd have me in your bed so quickly." He made a throaty noise of humor at that. "But with that said, you're definitely better than what I expected. I'd always been curious of vampires, ever since you-all came out of the coffin. I suppose it surprises me most of all that it's so... peaceful and silent with you." Lifting my hand, I tapped my forefinger gently on my right temple, in case he didn't quite get what I meant. "If I'd have known that all it takes is for being around a vampire to get a real sense of peace and quiet, I wouldn't have put it off for as long as I have, in meeting one."

He started tracing his fingers up and down my arm again, leaving a trail of what felt like goose pimples in his wake. I took in that his cuticles and nails were purple-tinged. I wondered if they grew like mine did, naturally or whether once you were turned undead, most things about you stopped growing and remained the same.

"Make no mistake," he whispered, his voice strange and emotionless, "Not all vampires are the same. Not every vampire you meet will be as... accommodating as I am."

"I know that you're probably right on that," I whispered back in agreement. "Truth is, not once did I assume you were a vampire, all those times I'd moved in and seen you undressing by the window..." I wasn't too proud to admit that. Well, mostly I wasn't too proud to admit I'd been perving on him ever since I'd moved in. But he knew that himself, obviously. "You didn't seem all that different to me?"

"You will find that, with most of us, it isn't glaringly obvious that we are vampire. But that is the way we like it; Most of us like blending in with human society. Because, that way, it is... easier to lure and seduce you in."

My heart did a little leap at his choice in words. Was that his intentions for me? _To lure me in and seduce me?_

"Is that what you were attempting to do with me, all those times?" I asked him tentatively, although I wasn't sure I wanted to know the real answer. "Were you trying to lure me in, and now that you've got me here, you're trying to seduce me?" I tried to make it sound as if I was teasing him. It didn't work as well as I'd hoped to, though; My voice went too squeaky and nervous.

Eric's mouth broke out into a wide grin. I made an audible gulping sound at the size and length of his sharp fangs. "Seduce you, yes," he admitted breathlessly, after a moment. "I did want to lure you. I wanted to lure you right over here so that we could get naked together in the one room."

I kind of already figured as much, so it didn't faze me at all. He peered deeply into my eyes for a moment, still smiling broadly, and then as if an invisible hand was wiping all the humor off his expression, he abruptly looked deadly serious. I wasn't sure whether I ought to scramble off his bed and run for my life, but he made no move to lunge in, bite me, and murder me.

When his eyes left mine at last and drifted down towards the inside of my arm instead, I felt myself physically sag in relief. He turned his head to the side slightly, while he stared at my arm, still brushing it with his fingers. "What are these?"

I felt my heart sink. I didn't even need to look myself to know what he was talking about. I had a bad moment in high school, a moment where I felt helpless and depressed, enough so that I'd cut myself with a razor blade. I only did it three or four times, but I regretted it now. I had hated being different, and I hated knowing what people were thinking about me, all their negative and cruel thoughts because they knew I was different from them. Kids could be cruel, and it was difficult when you're a kid not to take it at face value.

"Uh, I just had a silly moment in high school."

"Silly moment?" He appeared as if he was having extreme difficulty in understanding. His tone and the confused expression on his face illustrated as much. "What do you mean by that? Did you get those scars in an accident in high school?"

"Um, no, it was no accident." I felt my stomach muscles dance unpleasantly. This was definitely not something I was all too comfortable in admitting to someone. I had never told anyone how I got them, no less. I was positive Gran had noticed them, because scars were permanent and they never fully healed. Whenever I wore a short-sleeved T-shirt, they were obvious as day. "Those were... self-inflicted. I did it when I was in high school. I was going through a... difficult period. High school was always difficult for me, due my ability." I gave him a tense, uneasy smile. "I found it real hard to fit in or to no less attempt to be like everyone else of my classmates. You can't even begin to imagine how pleased I was once school finished completely."

Eric's fair eyebrows rose at my confession and he gave me a look I couldn't totally put my finger on. I thought he looked rather stern and disapproving, though. "These were self-inflicted?" He enquired slowly, and his fingers immediately stopped with their carefree brushing against my skin. Instead, he curled his large hand around my wrist and brought my hand up, as if to inspect the scars at a more closer range. "As in that you did them to yourself? You hurt yourself, and made yourself scar?" Evidently self-harm was a concept he was not at all familiar with.

"Essentially, yep. I did it on purpose. Have you ever felt yourself like everything goes wrong in your life? As if you don't belong or fit anywhere?" I found myself too nervous to look at his face, so I peered straight up at his ceiling instead. "I do regret it, but I was fifteen back then and I wasn't thinking seriously. I was all so woe-is-me, but once high school ended, I found it easier to cope. I never did it to myself again, not after those three or four times." This was the most I had ever confessed to anyone about it. It felt strange talking to someone about it now, especially when that person was male and a vampire, above all. "I realized pretty quickly how silly it was. I've regretted it ever since, and I've got the marks as a constant reminder of my own stupidity."

"You are right," Eric said sharply, "That is very silly and stupid of you, to do that to yourself, Sookie." I didn't know why, but I felt better and grateful for him telling me that, as obvious as it was to me. It just felt nice for someone to tell me that, to reassure me. "No one can make you feel lonely or like you do not belong, unless you give them the power to effect you and make you feel so. You should not do that to yourself, not again." His accent was pronounced again. Perhaps it was more noticeable when he was feeling extra heated and emotionally stirred by something?

Startling me, his hand went under my chin and he guided my gaze up so I could do nothing else but meet his gaze. My eyes met his reluctantly, and his were reproachful and hard.

"Not again," he repeated, as if it was an order. "I may not know much about you or what you like and don't like, but I know this much: You are a beautiful and intelligent young woman. Hurting yourself is ridiculous." The fact he was so outraged touched me and overwhelmed me like I could not believe.

"Oh, I know that now, believe me," I assured him hastily. "That's why I've never done it again, nor would I ever. It was just a silly thing I did when I was a kid and I was feeling bad and sorry for myself over my telepathy."

"Have you always had your gift of telepathy?"

"Ever since I can remember. I mean, I never really took notice of it until I was about four years old. And I can't properly shut out what I hear, either; Sometimes it gets hard to concentrate properly. That was mainly why I hated school; I could hear what everyone was thinking about me, and how they judged me and it just... it got me down. But now I don't care much anymore, I don't let it affect me. I just try not to put too much stock into what I hear them think about me."

I realized we were taking up too much time talking about all my issues, and I had plenty more of them. I was probably boring him, and I didn't want to keep on talking about it with him. So, doing something I haven't done before, I made the first move in lifting up with my hands and holding his face in between my hands cautiously. He didn't seem to mind me doing that. If anything, he seemed almost relieved that I no longer wanted to talk to him about depressing things while he had me there underneath him on his bed.

Moving mostly over me, he leaned down and pressed his lips into mine. We kissed for a good, fantastic few minutes, our lips moving quickly at a matching pace, and then he decided to just go ahead and push his tongue right in.

It was obvious to me that he wanted to do more than just kissing with me in his bed and maybe I did, too, because while one of his hands came up to fist my hair carefully into a ball in his palm, his other hand was more restless. He held my neck in his hand for about a second, then his hand got bored with it and instead he slid his knuckles down my throat, down my shoulder, down my hip and all the way down to the side of my thigh. My hands weren't as certain with what to do as his seemed to be; I clenched and unclenched them at my sides nervously, unsure where to put them while we kissed. I finally settled on lifting my arms and resting them against his shoulders while his tongue moved expertly against mine in an astoundingly pleasurable way.

I made a strange noise I'd never heard from myself before, a strangled moan into his mouth, and then I felt myself jerk in shock with what he did next. It was so sudden and unexpected that it threw me off a little; His knuckles slid back up over the entire side of my body, and when he reached the strap of my bra, he glided his cold fingers down and pushed them inside the molded cup, feeling my left breast and my nipple. I'd never even had a guy do that to me- them copping a feel- before so it made my entire mind go blank, the action alone.

I realized I wouldn't have minded going all the way with him. I didn't even know him all that much, but he made me feel as if I could be an interesting person. A somewhat desirable person, even.

As his lips left mine and he suddenly took a change of route by pressing his mouth against my collarbone, I felt a surge of panic go through me. Things were moving too fast and I felt a strange feeling down below, one that I was assuming was a positive thing in a situation like this. As he glided his lips over to the patch of skin under my earlobe and started bringing his tongue and fangs into the mix to playfully nip at me, I had a fight or flight response settle in.

My mind was instantly set on the flight response.

"Wait," I cried out, without thinking. "I need to go to the bathroom." It was a lie, sure, but it was the best excuse I could come up with.

Much to my relief, Eric was listening. He pulled back to look at me, although unwillingly. He looked hungry and he licked his lips as he peered at me through half-closed eyes. _All the more reason to run away, and fast..._

"The bathroom is just out there, second door on the right."

"Great. I'll be right back." I nearly fell off the bed, I was that hasty to get away. And damn it, my knees almost buckled as I stood. My bones felt all mushy.

"Don't keep me waiting for too long then," Eric said in a mischievous way, and when I dared to glance at him, he was laying long ways out on his side, head propped on a hand, looking the epitome of relaxation and attractiveness.

I found my clothes lying messily on the floor near his bed, and I scooped them up quickly and hid them behind my back. "Don't worry," I lied, managing to sound flirtatious. "I'll be back in a jiffy. You won't even notice I've gone."

Closing the bedroom door on him and knowing the coast was clear, I stepped back into my shorts hastily, pulled my top over myself, and ran to retrieve my car keys and my purse. It was only when I had reached my apartment door and had locked myself up safely inside near fifteen minutes later, that I felt the panic and adrenaline leave my body completely. Phew, that was close. I relaxed against the door, peering into the lit room of his apartment through the window all the way from where I stood, safely in mine.

But then I noticed it.

Eric had obviously noticed I was taking far too long in his bathroom.

I saw him step outside the bedroom we were just in, naked all the way up and down. I got a lovely view of his backside as he stopped by what was probably his bathroom door, and he lifted his hand and I saw him knock a few times. Then I saw him lean over and press his ear against the wood, probably hoping to hear me fussing around inside it. And then he looked.

Well, I wasn't sure whether he actually noticed me at my door or not, but he straightened up from listening to cross over to his couch. He lifted a piece of clothing off the couch and held it close to his nose, as if inhaling in the smell that lingered on it.

It was only when he shook that piece of clothing out, that I realized it was my cardigan. I had left it over at his apartment, and now I probably had to go back over there and get it back. _Ah, hell no._

**_ERIC:_**

She was spending a bizarrely long time in the bathroom. I could not hear her breathing or making any noise.

But when I went to investigate, I realized otherwise. Sookie was back in her apartment, I could see her. She was huddled by her front door, as if worried I would notice her moving about. What she obviously didn't know was that I saw her first instance I looked.

I knew what this meant, in Sookie leaving early. It has been a while since I have properly flirted with a woman or that she would flirt with me, but I understood what this was.

Sookie was playing hard to get, and I had to admit, I loved it when a woman does that. But two can play at that game.

If she wants to play hard to get, then I will indulge her and play it back just as hard.

**Sorry if this one was a let down. I'm worried it really is. Thank you all so much for the alerts and reviews I have received, you are all so kind and encouraging. It makes me feel less nervous about posting on here, this is my first time doing something like this so I hope I'm not screwing it up. :/**


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